You step into a winter wonderland you thought only lived in books. Two cabins and a forest of evergreens flank a semi-circle made out of snow, framing a patch of open land. Behind the houses, the sky is lit with a green-purple hue reflective of the northern lights.

Welcome to Almost, Maine.

Watkins Mill High School’s fall play Almost, Maine debuted on Friday, November 10, in the O’Shea Theater. Almost, Maine is a romantic comedy play that revolves around eight vignettes, and a story told over a prologue, interlogue and epilogue. Each of these vignettes is independent from each other, but all have a common theme: love.

Each vignette takes a different perspective on love, ranging from a broken marriage to an epic bromance turned romantic. The vignettes take on an almost Twilight Zone inspiration, meaning you don’t get the full picture of the scene until it’s over. This structure of the play keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, excited to see how the plot will twist and turn.

My personal favorite vignette was “Seeing the Thing,” starring sophomore Barrett Stoppelmoor and senior Elisabeth Warren. The vignette was the funniest of all the vignettes. Without giving anything away, things get a little…steamy.

Not all the vignettes are comical though, and some take on a more serious tone. One of such vignettes is “Where It Went,” starring senior Eric Sherman and junior Alexandra Aucoin. In this vignette Sherman and Aucoin play a married couple who have started to fall out of love. This dramatic vignette slows the play down as it shifts from the other more comedic vignettes such as “They Fell,” and “This Hurts.”

This show has some serious Friday night date potential. Speaking of dates…Almost Maine is playing at the O’Shea Theater tonight and tomorrow night at 7pm. Come out and support the O’Shea Players!    

I think this whole review can be summarized into three words: I loved it